Background and career
Chael Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American sports commentator, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, submission grappling promoter, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he became a top contender in both the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions and challenged for both the UFC Light Heavyweight and UFC Middleweight Championships. Sonnen has also fought in World Extreme Cagefighting, Pancrase, and most recently for Bellator MMA. Sonnen is often considered one of the best mixed martial artists never to have won a major MMA world championship and one of the sport's greatest trash-talkers. In 2014, Sonnen began working as a MMA analyst for ESPN and two years later, in July 2016, founded Submission Underground (SUG), his own submission grappling promotion. He is currently the lead commentator for Real American Freestyle, a professional freestyle wrestling promotion.
Sonnen was born in either Milwaukie, Oregon, or West Linn, Oregon (sources differ) to Patrick and Claudia Sonnen. Chael grew up wealthy due to his father's successful plumbing and real estate businesses, and describes his upbringing as "great." Sonnen's mother, a former high school teacher, has referred to Chael as a "momma's boy" in his early childhood, and described him as a carefree youth with a contrarian streak. With his father, uncles, and older cousins all having wrestled themselves, Chael began began wrestling at age nine and showed early potential. Starting in his teenage years, Sonnen began receiving private coaching by future Olympic Greco-Roman silver medalist and UFC title challenger Matt Lindland, who had worked as a plumber's assistant in his father's company. He attended West Linn High School, where he was an Oregon state runner-up. At one point in his high school wrestling tenure, Sonnen would wrestle Lindland in the first round of the Sunkist International Open, losing what both describe as a dominant match. In 1996, Sonnen began training in boxing and kickboxing, having hoped to compete in the UFC since high school and intending to transition sports after the end of his collegiate wrestling career. After high school, Sonnen first attended Brigham Young University, before transferring to the University of Oregon in Eugene, after BYU began considering cutting its wrestling program. At the University of Oregon, Sonnen earned NCAA Division I All-American honors and was a two-time PAC-10 runner-up, a silver medalist at the 2000 Greco-Roman World University Championships, and a two-time Dave Schultz Memorial International Greco-Roman winner. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2001, with a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology.
Sonnen started his mixed martial arts career in 1997 at the age of 19, by defeating Ben Hailey in Vancouver, Washington. According to Sonnen, his mother videotaped the fight and his father became an avid supporter of Sonnen's MMA career after watching it. Sonnen would join Team Quest - a pioneering MMA training center in Portland founded by Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, and Matt Lindland - soon after its opening in 2000. Five years after his debut, he defeated future ICON Sport Middleweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight contender Jason "Mayhem" Miller. He won four more straight fights that year, before his first professional loss to Trevor Prangley. In late 2003, he was submitted by future Ultimate Fighter winner and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin with a triangle choke submission maneuver.
Sonnen made his UFC debut in a Light Heavyweight bout against former IFC Light Heavyweight Champion Renato Sobral at UFC 55, submitting to a second-round triangle choke. He then avenged his first loss, by winning a unanimous decision over Trevor Prangley at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4. At UFC 60, he fought Jeremy Horn for the third time and submitted to an armbar. Shortly after, he was released from the UFC.
In May 2006, Sonnen debuted for Bodog Fight, defeating Tim Credeur via TKO. He went on to win a unanimous decision over Alexey Oleinik, defeat Tim McKenzie in 13 seconds with a D'arce choke, and finish UFC and PRIDE veteran Amar Suloev via TKO. After leaving Bodog, Sonnen defeated future Ultimate Fighter member Kyacey Uscola at SuperFight 20: Homecoming.
In December 2007, Sonnen fought Paulo Filho for the WEC Middleweight Championship. Sonnen lost via a controversial submission at 4:55 of the second round. Sonnen did not tap out but screamed in pain, which the referee interpreted as a verbal submission. In his post-fight interview, Sonnen said he told the referee not to stop the fight, and continually said "No" when the referee asked if he wanted to submit. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, claimed Sonnen only yelled "No" after the referee stopped the fight. Kizer and Dana White (who was watching ringside) both agreed with the call. A rematch was scheduled for March 26, 2008, but was cancelled after Filho entered a drug rehabilitation program. Sonnen instead faced undefeated contender Bryan Baker and dominated him for three rounds to win a unanimous decision (30–26, 30–25, and 30–25). Sonnen and Filho eventually met again on November 5, 2008. Filho appeared distracted throughout the bout, and Sonnen took advantage winning all three rounds to win the fight via unanimous decision. Prior to the fight, Filho weighed in almost seven pounds over the 185-pound limit, so the bout was ruled a non-title match. After Filho lost, he announced he would ship Sonnen the championship belt.
